2007 Annual Report - jamstec japan agency for marine-earth ...

Fig. 4
Sea surface mooring buoy (Height: 5 m from sea surface,
Weight in air: 0.85 ton) at the sea surface flux observation site.
(5)Ocean, Land and Atmosphere Interactions
Integrated Research
Utilizing observational data obtained by the atmospheric
and oceanic field experiment- MISMO (Mirai Indian Ocean
cruise for Study of the MJO-convection Onset) - in the boreal
autumn of 2006, we obtained several results on the formation of
the MJO. From the atmospheric data, it is shown that the moist
process due to stepwise cloud-top development of cloud systems
occurs and the Rossby wave may exist in the upper troposphere
at the passage of the MJO. The characteristic features of
oceanic mixed layer in the Indian Ocean Dipole were first
found from the oceanic data such as strong salinity stratification
and associated undercurrent. These results were reported at several
international and domestic conferences such as IUGG.
In order to detect the seasonal variation of the MJO, the
atmospheric field experiment with upper-air sounding, Doppler
radar etc was conducted in the boreal spring of 2007 at the
Maldives area.
Long-range continuous observations with Doppler radar
and ground-based measurement systems were executed to
detect intraseasonal and interannual atmospheric variations over
the western Pacific Ocean.
Fig.(Left) Schematic fig.s of temporal variation of eastward-propagating
large-scale cloud systems (=MJO) and inner atmospheric circulation.
(Right)East-west - height section of stepwide cloud-top development of
cloud systems under the atmospheric environment and surface sea temperature
(SST) at the passage of the MJO.
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